§ 2. Sir K. WOODasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make a statement concerning the matters which are still outstanding and in respect of which protests and other communications have been made by His Majesty's Government to the Soviet Government?
§ Mr. DALTONMy right hon. Friend cannot undertake to answer in detail a general question of this nature. A number of communications on a variety of subjects are continually passing between His Majesty's Government and other Governments with which they are in diplomatic relations. If the right hon. Gentleman has any particular matter in mind, perhaps he will put down a specific question regarding it.
§ Sir K. WOODSurely the hon. Member is ready to make a statement this afternoon as to the number of grave protests which have been made quite recently, what action has been taken and whether 159 the Soviet Government has expressed any intention of meeting the desires of the present Government?
§ 10. Mr. SMITHERSasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many protests he has made to the Soviet Government since he took office; has he received replies to them all; in how many cases has the reply been satisfactory; and in how many cases has the protest had to be repeated?
§ Mr. DALTONIf by "protests" the hon. Member means representations to the Soviet Government comparable with those made on seven occasions between 1921 and the rupture of relations in 1927, the only representations of this nature made by my right hon. Friend related to the allegations made by the Soviet Public Prosecutor in the Moscow trial of November-December last. The House is aware from my right hon. Friend's reply of the 15th of December last that His Majesty's Government recorded their dissatisfaction at the attitude adopted by the Soviet Government in this matter. My right hon. Friend has, however, on three other occasions warned the Soviet Ambassador of the danger to the relations between our respective Governments of certain activities which were regarded by His Majesty's Government as breaches of the pledges exchanged in December, 1929, and has also, as he informed the House on the 8th of December, made a protest in connection with a wireless message broadcast from Moscow.
§ Sir K. WOODHave not all these protests been treated with utter contempt?
§ Mr. SMITHERSIs there still a difference of opinion between His Majesty's Government and the Soviet Government as to the interpretation of the Protocol referred to, and are any steps being taken to try to come to an agreed understanding of that Protocol?
§ Mr. DALTONI do not think that arises directly out of the question on the Paper.
§ Colonel ASHLEYWill the hon. Gentleman inform us what was the reply given by the Soviet Government to these three representations and warnings by the Foreign Secretary?